January 19, (THEWILL) – In a dramatic match at the TotalEnergies African Nations Championship (CHAN) on Wednesday, Uganda pulled off a stunning 1-0 victory over Senegal, keeping alive their hopes of reaching the knock-out stages of the competition.
The match, which took place on a cold and rainy night at the 19 May 1956 Stadium in Annaba, Algeria, saw Uganda captain Milton Karisa, score the lone goal that ultimately decided the outcome of the game.
The Ugandan defenders were resolute from the start, absorbing all the early Senegalese pressure and allowing their team to surge forward and score against the run of play. In the 33rd minute, Vipers forward Karisa connected with a pass from Kenneth Semakula to make an impressive tap-in past Senegal goalkeeper Pape Sy, sending the Ugandan camp into celebrations.
Despite the early deficit, Senegal continued to press forward, wasting several chances in front of goal. In the 83rd minute, substitute Libasse Ngom was sent off for a serious foul, giving Uganda the numerical advantage they needed to hold on and secure the win against the West African giants.
The victory is Uganda’s first CHAN win since beating Burkina Faso 2-1 at the 2014 edition in South Africa. The Cranes were winless at 2016, 2018, and 2020 CHAN editions. With this win, they now sit at the top of Group B with four points, while Senegal is second with three points. The Democratic Republic of Congo sits in third with two points, and Côte d’Ivoire sits at the bottom of the table.
